Restoring dignity one haircut at a time in Kenya’s largest mental health hospital

NAIROBI, Kenya — At Kenya ’s largest mental health referral hospital, male patients encounter a different kind of therapy: a personal grooming session provided by two visiting barbers.

As their equipment is unpacked, excitement spreads. Patients eagerly take turns sitting in the barber’s chair, looking forward to a haircut.

Healthcare workers say personal grooming is an important aspect of recovery, as one sign of mental illness can be a loss of interest in personal hygiene and self-care.

Kenya has limited data on the prevalence of mental illness. According to the government’s 2015 Mental Health Policy, an estimated 25% of outpatients and 40% of inpatients in all health facilities experience mental health conditions.

Mental health experts say depression and anxiety are among the most common conditions, while substance use disorders remain a major challenge, particularly among men.

June is observed as Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. Francis Kabugua, a nursing officer at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital in Nairobi, is encouraging men to speak openly about their struggles instead of turning to alcohol and other substances in an attempt to cope.

“Among the things that you may see a person with depressive disorders is segregating themselves or separating themselves from the members of the family. They start also not providing for the family,” he said.

Sheila Lugaliki founded Uniquely Gifted, a community-based organization that offers the free grooming services. She said her own experience as a patient in a psychiatric ward inspired her to establish the monthly initiative.

She said she hopes the act of providing haircuts restores dignity, boosts confidence and reminds patients that they are valued as opposed to them feeling “neglected.”

“You find someone has been admitted for six months and yet no one has groomed their hair. How they look really does not reflect how they are feeling,” she said.

Psychiatric nurse Titus Enko agreed, saying that personal grooming enhances patients’ self-esteem and contributes to their overall recovery and well-being.

“More often we only think about medication, psychotherapy, and we tend to overlook the other part, which is the personal grooming. Many times, someone neglects themselves and they start not taking a shower or they don’t dress well. And personal grooming is an indication that someone is either doing good or they’re not doing okay,” he said.

As the barbers trimmed patients’ beards, one man summed up the experience in a single word. He said he felt “alive.”